I Dig the Bat Wing

A few months ago I bought a retro, unlabeled top at the thrift store, and it was so basic, and I liked it so much, that I decided to make a pattern off of it. It is the same piece front and back, so I put it on a grocery paper bag that I cut to lay flat, I folded to mark the center at top and bottom, and I traced around half of it carefully. I then went back and used my curves and straight edge to clean the pattern up. I created bands for the cuffs and hips based off my measurements, and then I set to making some new tops.

The first one came out snug in the arms and hips, but is wearable and has been frequently worn in the last few months. I made a few adjustments for the second, and it came out really well with none of the issues of the store bought or previously made one. I used a presumably vintage length of knit tube fabric that I bought in the thrift.

One of the major bonuses is that between the bat wing and the bands, the pattern goes together extremely fast! And sewn on the serger with minimal sewing machine stitching, it's nearly finished as it is constructed. Then there's the fact that this top embodies what I love about my favorite pieces of clothing- it has unusual details (bat wing and boat neck) while being totally functional and wearable.

 And so you can see my wings........

 Weak, huh? Well, that's because it is actually not a batwing top, although it does look a bit more wing-y when I don't have a long sleeve top underneath. But it's COLD. I think it's technically a magyar sleeve. How did I come to this conclusion, and what is the difference between batwing, magyar, and dolman anyway? I found a book called The Fashion Design Manual by Pamela Stecker that  clears this up- there is a preview on Google Books.

So if you don't know, now you know! Still, I'm pretty sure I'll never convince my husband to say magyar when it's so much more fun to say "bat waaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnggggggg" in your best twang!